Let's Go Home
by andreblomvkist
Summary: "Emma Swan is now the Dark One. And if we.. .. us... ever find her.. we'll bring her again to the light. We must. She's our saviour. She is my saviour. " SwanQueen!
1. The Beginning

**This is my first serious fanfiction and I honestly needed after Once Upon a Time finale. I'm gonna go wild with the Dark One reason to exist, you might not understand everything from the beginning but I assure you I'll try to do my best.**

 **Thanks to pistachawoman, to Alicia and goddesspurrilla. And of course, thank you, whoever you are! Please if you think I can improve leave it in the comments or tell me in Twitter or Tumblr. As you wish. Please, have a pleasant lecture!**

 _How many days had passed...? What was the meaning of "day"..?_

 _Where am I? Why there is so much.. information.. why there is darkness.. I believe.._

 _I believe I tried to fight darkness.. Is this darkness? I don't see nothing. I feel.. power.. but I can't light myself.._

 _Can I escape? I just see.. souls.. or magic..? Light with tails.. like they were comets.. I can't breathe.._

 _. . ._

 _Again... darkness... I feel my skin hardened.. like it is leather.. rough.. who am I now? I remember... being a child of slavery.. did I have will..? I cut my wings.. but I wasn't me..then he... he came.. the writer... he ravaged me.. he destroyed me.. he took my magic.. the Author... I became I.._

 _And then, for the centuries.. I kept becoming I.. until the last one.. he ravaged the free will of others, he destroyed the lifes of others.. he destroyed me, I. He destroyed.. R.._

 _. . ._

 _I remember. I just feel asphyxia. But I remember._

She wasn't running out of breath. She didn't need to breath. She realized she was underwater, and she had the feeling she had been there a long time. Emma couldn't move a lot, her muscles felt sore, but nontheless, she felt powerful. The newborn woman fighted the soreness on her body and began swimming in direction to the water surface.

The last thing she remembers is grabbing a dagger, kissing a man and be embraced by darkness. She also remembers the last face she saw. Regina. She remembered that face and that name, but there were no memories aside from that.

Emma choked when finally got to the coast. She felt anxious, out of control. But there was no one to help. And the memories from _I_ told her that her power would be enough on any dangerous situation. But she couldn't trust herself. Not after being swallowed by darkness.

The human in her tried to find a sign, a location, a name to guide her, to help her take the first step and return home, or decide to never come again. _Storybrooke Harbor_. Those words had a reminiscence of that face she saw after _dying._

Emma heard her name. Not her name, but _its_ name. And now, she was _it_. It was a woman's voice, but she couldn't find the origin, until it became so strong she fell on the ground, and anxious began running towards the forest.

Emma felt like she could run more. Maybe the soreness was gone, but running she felt free. Escaping from the voices, thoughts, whatever she was hearing, _feeling_ , felt free.

After some time running, she got to the cementery. She couldn't stay there, because the anxiety, the _danger_ , hadn't disappeared. But at the right of the cementery, deep, between some trees, there was a house. Or a temple. Whatever it was, it could serve as a haven.

Emma entered. It was a cript. And she saw a coffin. It was a cript. It was written _HENRY_. Next to it there were other two coffins.

 _CORA_.

 _DANIEL_.

Regina had counted 147 days since Emma turned dark. She had disappeared in a dark smoke, and the only thing she left was the dagger. _EMMA SWAN_. It had been so much time that when she closed her eyes, Emma's face was beginning to fade. And she hated that sensatition. She had lost her physically, and now the memories were saying goodbye as well.

Maybe it was for the best. Maybe she could forget what she had felt those last months. Maybe she could begin a new life, with Henry, like she wanted on the beginning, without a biological mother to take her kid away. But they had developed their friendship so much. It was her who in her vault begged Regina to be friends. Emma promised her happy ending. With Robin, with Henry, at the cost of her life.

Henry didn't leave the house. He only talked to her, Snow White and Lily, and Regina was quite sure the last was because Henry wanted to know more about her mother. Snow White didn't sleep, she had been at the hospital few times already. David was almost everytime in his own mind, thinking about where Emma could be. Regina had offered him the sheriff position, but he rejected it even before the Mayor could finish. And she understood, because David taking the badge meant no one had more hopes for Emma to appear.

Robin had left with Zelena, as the coward he was, Regina thought. The only thing Regina was thankful to him was discovering she was indeed in love with another person. Who was, at least, missing, and at the most...

Shivers came down her spine, she tried not to think about that possibility, although the failure on her investigations and the summonings showed what could be a reality. _Emma is dead._ Her hands feel sleepy. Everytime she thought Emma could have passed away, she stopped working. That's why she was always working.

And sometimes, when she felt sorrow, loneliness.. _solitude,_ she would come down to the crypt, talk to his father, to Daniel, about what she felt. And silence was the only answer she got. Other times, once in a while, she would hear her mother's voice. _Loser, loner. You are just a coward, pretending to be strong. You weren't strong without magic, and without love you are even weaker._

She was strong, but there were days where she just stared at the dagger. _EMMA SWAN_. And she would repeat, hour after hour, minute after minute, " _Dark One, I summon thee._ " and at the end, she always ended in the ground, shaking, screaming internally. _Alone_.

She decided it was time for a drink. The strongest one, if it was possible. Whisky. She laughed when she realized how many cider and whisky bottles she drank over these 147 days on her office, as she was doing now. _Get back to work, Regina._ And so she did. Regina had to take a look on the Storybrooke CCTV cameras. Usually, that would be Emma's task, but Emma.. and Regina didn't want to put more weight on David's shoulders. He had enough with his own and Snow' sorrow, and thankfully the the cameras made laugh to Regina once a day.

Although, she had a secret camera which did not bring laughter on her. After what happened with Daniel's body, she made calls to install 3 CCTV cameras on her crypt, at the cementery. Not that she continued to do unethical things there, but the emotional valour of the place was to much to seen it as mess again.

So she sat again on her armchair, left the whisky on the table and took a look on the cameras. Nothing out of the normal, gladly. She would rage if something strange happened. And she actived the other closed circuit, the one on the crypt, while reclining on the chair. Nothing was out of normal. Nothing moved.

Until _it_ moved. Regina choked and spit out the whisky, making her work table a mess. It looked like a person. _Maybe is a thief._ It looked tall, and had long hair. _Is definitely a thief, and it looks like a woman, or a girl._ Regina didn't have anything more of valor in that crypt, aside from the coffins and what those meant to her.

Suddenly, the individual jumped on one of the coffins. It had a mask on its face, a black one, and it looks like it was using the camera to have at least a reflection. She couldn't remove it, it seems, not easily. She was trying to brake it piece by piece, and suddenly, it got close to the camera, letting Regina see the eyes. _Green._ She remembered Emma's eyes, but it wasn't that kind of green. It could not be her.

On spur of moment, part of the mask fell off. You could see the jaw of the woman, the chin, the skin. The white skin. And the hair. It was white, _long. Blonde._

 _Green. Long. Blonde._

Regina was already shivering, sweating, eyes teary, gazing at the woman movements. And she heard it, while she tried to poof on the crypt without luck.

" **Henry?** "

And finally, the only thing left on the Mayor's office was smoke.


	2. In a crypt

**Thank you to every of you who have read this! I will try to make it up to you and write the best story that I'm able to. Thanks again to pistachawoman and everyone who reads this. I know this episode is quite sluggish, but don't worry. Be prepared!**

 _Regina was in her office, holding the dagger. Again. As she did everyday since Emma dissipated. She had done it at least 147 times already. Sometimes at noon, sometimes at 9 a.m, when she entered quickly to her office and tried, with hope, that something moved, or Emma's voice appeared._

 _"Dark One, I summon thee." Silence, silence was what she heard, aside from the buzz coming from her already knew nothing was going to happen, but that routine, of calling Emma everyday, was the last string on her psyche that made her not to lose her shit._

 _"Dark One... I summon thee." She hold her dagger with a false hope, the desire and expectation of hearing one 'Hey, Regina'. Imagining that possibility filled her eyes with tears. She sobbed, and a mix of rage, wrath and sadness traveled through her body. She couldn't cope anymore with it. Her expectations, her hope, belief, had just made her weaker. And she cried everytime she thought that, because it meant she was betraying Emma, and she was betraying Henry, as well._

 _"Emma, I summon you." Regina yielded the dagger as strong as she could do, but she dropped it when suddenly the ivory in which it was made was too hot for her to handle. The dagger hadn't been damaged, fortunately, but Regina could see a smoke oozing from it. And that never happened._

 _But Emma was not there, and there was no voice to be heard aside from Regina's own thoughts. Althought this time, Regina did not end on the ground, sorrowing. Maybe the dagger recting meant Emma was alive. Or close. But it meant something._

 _She decided it was time for a drink, The strongest one, if it was possible.._

Regina didn't thought about leaving her office open, with the screen and the CCTV cameras activated. But she didn't care, because someone was at her family crypt and that someone looked like Emma.

Or maybe it wasn't Emma, because that person looked different. In the camera the hair looked more white than blonde, and the glint on the unknown person's eyes was pretty impressive. But no more could be seen with the quality of the vigilance cameras, aside from the mask of the strange and the bruises it had on its face.

Regina poofed on the crypt's entrance and she opened the door. No one was there. Or maybe it was too dark to see anybody, but not even a bulb of magic light made the outsider visible. Maybe she, or it, was gone. Maybe she was so desperate and determined to find Emma that it was just a lost creature from the Enchanted Forest. _With magic, who knows what can happen_ , Regina said for herself.

And then an idea came. But as it came, it was gone. She didn't have her dagger, she left it on the black leather couch at her office. Perhaps she could just summon the dagger and make it appear her, however, if Emma's was here still, would she try to steal the dagger?

It didn't matter. Not at that time. Regina concentrated for a brief time and tried to poof the dagger on her hands, failing. Maybe it was for the magic nature of the dagger, but it didn't work. Perchance she wasn't using enough magic to invoke such a powerful object.

Again, she was not going to lose the only opportunity she had to, possibly, recover Emma. Or, at least, help whoever she was in there. But she knew she was trying for Emma, not for any other possibility.

Regina funneled all her magic in her hands trying to bring the dagger to her, and it worked. And it continued hot, as in the morning. She had this time leather gloves, aside from the bandage on her hands covering the burns. She would usually heal herself, but hadn't thought about it. Regina was too much on other things.

And she began again, as the very same morning, as yesterday, as the day before, as she would do tomorrow.. or not.

"Dark One, I summon thee." It didn't work. Regina was losing herself faster than usual. She had hoped that Emma would be standing there. She was already crying, and she was already feeling how her numb legs couldn't help her stand anymore.

"Emma, please, I am begging you." Regina fell to the ground, with her legs not working anymore from the anxiety, the pain deep inside her heart. She hadn't told anyone about her insomnia, about how she used a less dangerous version of the sleeping curse every night to make her sleep, and how she searched for Emma on her dreams.

The woman who once was a queen closed her eyes, mourning her love and her hope. Mourning the light magic she now had, mourning the optimism she had to show in front of her son.

"Hello, Regina" said Emma's voice, _her voice_ , from her right.

Regina, already exhausted for the amount of magic she had used today, summoned a magic lightbulb, and picked herself up from the ground. She hadn't stopped sobbing, but she was there. Emma was right in front of her.

Regina could not see her, at least not most of her face. She had a mask attached to the face, and by the reflection from her lightbulb, it seemed a porcelain one. Emma had already tried to broke it, as the fissures on the object could tell.

"Please, help me", Emma murmured. Her hands were trembling and her skin, seemed to be cold.

"I am here.", Regina whispered, and thoughtlessly, she took a step towards Emma. "Let me help you."

The mayor raised her hands, slowly, in direction to Emma's face, and focused her light magic on her fingers. One by one, every piece of the almost broken mask fell off Emma's face, letting Regina see her now pale skin, some bruises, and Emma's eyes.

Suddenly, Emma's head leaned on Regina's hand, and both weren't prepared for the sensations and memories which were running through her minds and bodies in that moment. Regina gasped while her memory ran through every moment of her life, including those ones she chose to forget. But she was seing... _living_.. something else. She also felt anxiety, she saw how the blonde found herself deep in the sea, how she search for indications of the place she was, she saw _Storybrooke Harbor,_ Regina saw how Emma, fearing for her life, or for herself, had run towards the crypt to feel safe.

Emma was seeing the same. She saw, she felt how Leopold took Regina on the bed. How the last one wanted Regina to become dark. She saw and felt Regina's love for Henry. She also felt other love. Love, from the Mayor to the one who Emma was once. And she was sure Regina had felt the emotions Emma had when they were on Neverland.

Regina removed violently the hand from Emma's face, who know gasped looking to the ground, trying to understand everything she had just experienced. She approached Regina, who was completely frozen, and smiled at her. The first smile since the sacrifice.

"Regina, I-I remember, I know, I-I..!" she, with the little energy she still had, laughed. With tears on her cheeks, hugged Regina as she could, but Regina didn't reciprocate. Regina just sobbed, until some seconds later, whispered something.

"I.. have missed you." And let Emma wrap her in her arms. _Just this time_ , thought.


	3. Golden Wolf

**Hello everyone! Thank you for the massive response. 1000 in just two days. You are amazing guys. If you have any questions, or any thing to say, leave a review or ask me on Tumblr/Twitter!**

 **I have to point out: Don't worry. I was going to leave a final comment on the end of the chapter, but smoke is a great word to finish! Next update will must surely be on the 16th Saturday! Thanks pistachawoman and you as well, reader.**

* * *

The emotion Emma felt when she embraced Regina was warm. It could be because she needed to see someone whom she could recognize, or maybe because she knew with Regina she would be safe. Safe from others. But mostly, safe from herself. She had the knowledge every other Dark One had, she was able too feel and see Regina's magic flowing and intensifying on her abdomen. She could see her own body, the legs, the magic in her. _Green_.

Perhaps it was time to stop the emotions flowing, as well. She could not control her powers, and she feared to hurt somebody. She was the Dark One, but she wasn't dark. _At least, not yet_ , Emma said to herself.

"Regina... I am s-", Emma tried to say before she was cut off with a slap. Regina's slap.

She couldn't have known, but she understood and Emma felt guilty for abandoning her best friend and her son, her family, alone.

"Do _you_ know what _we_ 've been through, Ms. Swan?" Regina said vehemently. "Do you think you can appear, after 147 days trying to find you and hug me like _nothing_ happened?!" as she pushed Emma to the wall of the crypt.

"I don't know. I can't know." Emma tried to justify, to explain. Seeing Regina like this, with teary eyes, only made Emma cry. In the moment of the sacrifice, she had just thought of saving Regina. She didn't thought about other people, she didn't thought about Henry. It's not like she remembered him, but she knew it was important because she had seen a child being hugged by the mayor and herself.

Some minutes passed on, with Regina's hands laid on Emma's shoulders, without saying a word. Both needed to realize how this changed things. Emma had returned. As the Dark One. Regina took a look at Emma after settling down. The once blonde had now platinum hair, although blonde strokes could still be seen. Her skin, damaged and hurt, should have to wait to be healed. And the eyes were green, surrounded by energy, magic. They were bright.

 _She doesn't look like Rumple_ , Regina thought, and that made her laugh. In fact, that spontaneous idea made her remove the hands from Emma and put them on her own knees while she laughed. Emma, startled, smiled and put one hand on Regina's back.

"Why are you laughing?" Emma said, almost laughing herself.

"You don't look like Rumple, darling." Regina whispered, although it was hard to talk seriously on this silly situation. "And I must say that if I ever expected to see you, it was on a much worse state." Regina, taken aback by the realization that she had just confessed she didn't hope to see Emma ever again.

"I feel different, Regina." said the once Saviour with a friendly smile. "I.. know.. everything Rumple lived, everything other Dark Ones lived.. I've seen it, felt it, lived it, as well. And I can see.. you. Everything of you. Everything of everyone."

Regina hadn't thought about Emma's own consequences from being the Dark One. Was she more violent? Could Emma try to harm anybody? Emma's magic had now change.. it irradiated more. And Regina felt affected by it as well. She felt stronger, but this was no time to prove the capabilities of any of them.

And there was the fact that Regina felt how Emma lived her life. Since Daniel's death, Cora's methods, Leopold.. she had felt everything. Regina thought that was a matter that they should talk after Emma was safe. Because she wasn't.

"How did you appeared here, Emma?" Regina asked, hesitant. Not because she didn't want to know the answer, she was anxious to know it. But she didn't want to trigger Emma's magic and make her run, or harm someone.

"I was.. in the dark. For a long time. I just remember living lifes.. of.. others. It.. _it_ tried to explain me everything. And then.. I could start to think, by myself. I could start to sort.. everything in my mind, every information, every knowledge I saw." Emma tried to explain, as slow and calm as she could, because she felt she was about to run in a matter of seconds. But she swallowed and tried to continue.

Regina had never asked Rumple about his nature when he was teaching her. She was afraid of him, she looked like a human globin of some sort. But he was really powerful, and he seemed compromised on ruining other's lifes through his deals.

"After maybe.. days.. without moving, but thinking, I could open my eyes, and I was underwater. Way underwater. I could breathe, there, but I felt as anxious as any normal person and I tried to get to the surface. When I did I almost couldn't get up again, but I saw-" Emma didn't have time to finish.

"- _Storybrooke Harbor_ , right?" Regina finished for her, trying to connect everything she saw when she touched Emma's face.

"Yes.." the other smiled, "Then I began to here my name.. not mine but.. _its_ name." Emma looked away from Regina, because she didn't feel safe acknowledging that she was now the Dark One. "And it was.. you. But it didn't let me go, I couldn't reach you, and I ran straight, deep, to the first place I could find." Emma was about to apologizing for the mess she had created on Regina's crypt when Regina's voice filled the air.

"It's ok, Emma. We must find you somewhere safe. You have to eat, sleep..", said the Mayor as she touched Emma's arm, now covered with black leather. It was a safe place, where Regina could touch when Emma was about to lose control of her magic. The Mayor knew she could relax Emma.

"But.. I can't.. I-I am too dangerous, Regina. I could harm, kill somebody." Emma said, shivering. "And besides, I don't remember. Unless I touch them, I don't remember. I don't know about Henry, aside from what I've felt from you. Other people.. I-They can't see me, Regina.", whispered while crying. She felt so powerful yet so powerless.

"We'll think of something", Regina told her. She didn't have a clue on what to do, but she knew she had to bring Emma to her house, somewhere safe where she could heal Emma and make her return. And perhaps.. there was a possibility of talking about what she had felt looking on Emma's memories. "Please, Emma. Trust me."

"I do" the blonde one said, smiled. Because she really did. Indeed, Emma more than trusted her. However, she didn't have to think about that. _Not right now_.

And so, Regina poofed them on her house, 108 Mifflin Street. They appeared on Regina's bedroom, as silent as they could, because it was Saturday and Henry was sleeping.

"Emma, I'm going to heal you, ok? I don't still know how my magi-", she didn't have the time to finish.

"You have light magic. I can share with you some, so you have enough, ok?" Emma showed a friendly smile. "I'm sorry."

Regina opened her eyes, surprised. She was getting some old clothes Emma had in her house, including the red leather jacket and white top Emma usually dressed with. "Why? This.. magic appeared after you.. well", told her ending with a sad smile. If only she could tell Emma everything she had felt during all this time, only if she was brave enough.

She tried to come to her senses, as she did everyday after crying, and sat alongisde Emma, at the edge of the bed. She was scared about seeing Emma without clothes on. She did saw her once, when they were enemies. It was when Regina brought her apples, trying to end the war between them for the sake of her son, and Emma received her in her most usual tank top, without bra and just some panties. Regina had never been with a woman, but if she had to be with one, _that would be Emma Swan._

Emma started to remove her clothes, which were a bit soaked from her time underwater.. She had a hard time with the black porcelain mask, that had been attached to her face thanks to the pressure undersea. She had a black leather jacket and black top. _I am sure the Dark one_ , thought with a smirk that Regina did not get to see.

Emma ended up in underwear, and she could see how Regina's magic was diverging to other places, the lower abdomen, her hands and her legs. She didn't blame her because her own magic was also diverging, but she was too exhausted to take into account the heatwave she was feeling.

Regina began to touch Emma, as softly as she could, on the bruises. She just needed to examine them, to touch _her_. Emma had most of the arms and the back covered in scars, unknown to her. She had two big ones, in her back. Regina just hoped that those were not Emma's and just appeared because of her new nature, but that's something they would have to discover other time.

She began to press on the injuries, and after some time, she gazed onto's Emma skin, realizing that she wasn't healing anything. She had to know that. This is the first time she tried to heal, or to do anything different more than poofing with her new magic.

"That's.. not how you do it, Regina. You have to come inside me." Emma's voice echoed.

Regina didn't blush many times but this one she blushed and her whole body felt a sudden wave caused by Emma's words. She hoped Emma's words weren't serious, or meant something else. Or maybe they meant what just that. Having sex. Regina was completely red, and her hands trembled, which was acknowledged by Emma, who laughed.

"I didn't meant to have sex. Not... " _yet_. "You have to access with your magic to my body, and heal from the inside. At least that's what _it_ said to me." Emma gazed on Regina's face, and she could see the doubt on her. "Ok, we can do this other time. I'm fine, really.", and smiled.

Regina was confused. There had been just one time when she did not know how to manage magic. And that was when Rumple asked to kill her first victim. At that moment, she just ran and tried to escape from Rumple, but it was written. She had to be the Evil Queen.

"We have to take you somewhere safe, Emma. And soon." Regina told her, while standing up and smoothing her blue, tight dress back. "I'm going to call a friend to help us." she said, sofly and slowly.

As Emma tried to speak, Regina left the room and headed for the kitchen, where she called the only person whom she knew it could have safeplaces deep in the forest. She picked her smartphone and she called Ruby.

"Hello, Ruby?" Regina asked, with a friendly tone.

"Wow! What is the mayor calling the big bad wolfie of the town?! How are you, Regina?" Regina could feel Ruby's smile for a moment, but she felt like the red girl was shouting too much.

"I'm quite fine, dear. I'm calling becuse I need a favor", the Mayor sighed. She wasn't prone to ask favors, and she was less prone to ask favors to Snow friends, although they had good relationship. But Ruby had been Emma's friend for a long time, since she came to Storybrooke, and if anybody could understand what happened in case they did have to know, it was Ruby.

"Regina...? Are you there?" Ruby said while laughing.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. I spaced out a bit. As I said, I need a favor.. for a f-friend," Regina told her, "I need one of your forest shacks. The one which is the best state, if possible" tried to explain.

"Oh my God, miss Mayor are you seeing somebody? I can't believe this I have to-", she heard. Regina would have to know that next time. Ruby was prone to misunderstanding. The worst of misunderstandings.

" _No_ , Red Hood. Is for a friend. Not for _me_." she sighed, and continued "I.. am not having any adventures", tried to explain her.

"Oh, so.. you want me to find a love nest for your lover.. I have to say I didn't expect that, Regina." The brunette was already losing the patience, but she tried one more time.

"Ruby, this is the most important thing I am ever going to ask you. And is serious" _It's about Emma,_ was about to say, but it wouldn't be safe for the once saviour to being alive to anybody else. To anybody else but Regina herself.

"Ok, I'll come down to your house in half an hour with photos of the cottages and the keys. I hope there's one that works for.. well.. . We'll see each other soon, Regina. It was nice talking to you."

After a brief goodbye, Regina hung the phone and returned to her bedroom, where Emma was already dressed with her old red leather jacket, a blue blouse from Regina's wardrobe and blue tight jeans.

"Do you mind if we have lunch, Emma? I know it's late but.." the brunette asked. Maybe Emma didn't need to eat now, being the Dark One and the Saviour at the same time could do strange things, but Regina didn't enjoy a breakfast that morning.

"Sure, I'm hungry. Regina..." Emma stopped herself from saying more words because she didn't know how to adress what she was about to ask. It was a silly question, but since Regina had mentioned the word _lunch_ , the blond just could think about the flat-shaped pasta with meat and some sauce Regina would usually bring to their lunches.

"Is there any problem, dear?" Regina asked, raising her eyebrows. She hoped Emma could eat, not just because she could recover a bit of energy. Maybe they could have a nice, calm chat during the lunch.

"How.. was it _lasagna_? Is called lasagna, right? That's the lunch you did every week to the boy and me." Emma asked, licking her own lips and thinking about how hungry she was to taste food again. Regina's food, if possible. Because she remember how the mayor's lasagna tasted and it was pretty amazing.

"Oh... "Regina looked startled. She hadn't expected that, not at all. "Yes, I did prepare some yesterday. Henry.. the boy.. as always liked it." Regina knew she had to try and introduce Henry to Emma. Maybe it could happen what it happened just an hour ago, when she touched the white haired girl and made Emma recover every memory. But that would not happen for a while. Emma was afraid of the safety of others around her.

They entered the kitchen, which was in the same condition as the last time Emma had been there. Regina prepared the lasagna and the drinks, giving herself the pleasure of taking a sip of wine, and inviting Emma to do the same. The blonde shook her head and began to eat the pasta Regina had prepared yesterday.

It was a peaceful lunch, where it became clear that Emma being the Dark One had not changed her ways of eating or her hunger when she could smell Regina's favorite meal. Minutes after ending lunch, the main door of Regina's house rang. Regina walked out of the kitchen closing the door, in case Henry woke up and decided to have breakfast straight away.

Regina smoothed her dress anew, and opened the door with the best of her smiles. "Hello, Ruby, please, come in"

Regina let her pass and while she could not see Red Hood's face, she could tell she was being uncomfortable. The Mayor knew what she had done and she was trying to be nice to every one, but she understood that most of the people she almost killed in the Enchanted Forest could be afraid of being at her house without company.

"Can we sit, please?" Ruby asked. She looked quite uncomfortable, indeed. "I don't feel good, sorry, Regina."

"It's ok, please take a seat," the older brunette didn't want to think if somebody could feel darkness coming from the kitchen, so she pushed those thoughts away and inquired Ruby about the shacks. "A friend of mine needs a little shack to keep some materials. She wants to move from her apartment and she needs to leave some things out. I was thinking-".

Regina was about to finish when Ruby picked herself up from the couch and glanced to the kitchen's door. Regina knew what was about to happen as Ruby gazed the mayor with golden eyes. She forgot that Ruby was a werewolf and could as well as herself feel the darkness mixed with Emma's magic coming from the kitchen.

"Ruby I know what you are thinking but I was about to explain you." Regina explained on her most serene way she was able to. "She doesn't know how to control her magic", sighed. Perhaps Ruby, or the wolf, whoever was she talking to, could understand her.

But Ruby didn't stay long listening to her and climed the stairs, while her claws began to make appearance on her hands. Regina poofed in front of the kitchen door, to try one last time if she could calm the werewolf.

"If you cross this door, she's not going to control herself, and she's going to hurt us both." Regina begged Ruby to stop. "She will disappear or worse, so please, Ruby, take a breath."

"Get off." the woman-also-wolf replied. Regina knew if she used her magic in any way, Emma would feel it, if she was not feeling already Ruby's magic transforming the once Red Hood.

When Ruby opened the door, Regina entering just behind her, Emma had already lighted her hands with green magic, and directed a stream of her magic to Ruby, although the werewolf got to dodge most of it, Regina had just the time to summon a magic shield that protected her from the beam.

Emma didn't intend to attack Regina but the werewolf, and she knew if they kept the fight with this unknown creature on Regina's kitchen, it would just bring problems to both of them, so she disappeared on a white smoke along the werewolf, and left Regina alone.

The Dark One and the werewolf appeared deep in the forest, and began to Emma walk backwards from the beast. She could focus her magic on attacking her but if the beast approached her, it was finished.

When the werewolf felt the green beam coming from Emma's hands, rolled to the right and ran towards the green-eyed, until it captured her hands and both Emma and Ruby experienced each other's memories of their relationship, while the last one was drained from the energy it made her able to turn into the wolf and returned to the normal self.

After some seconds, both fell onto the ground, dizzy and numb, but Emma crawled to her side, breathing fast, and laid on her right.

"Hello, Ruby" Emma sighed, tired from the fight. "Those were great movements right there...", laughed, "looks like you've been training or something?" and looked at her, while Ruby's golden eyes faded out to brown.

"Your.. the sheriff asked me to practice", Ruby said while she stood up and helped Emma to do the same. "You have to see your child, Emma. Henry.." but Emma cut her off before she could continue.

"It is not safe. I don't want to approach them. I'm not the same Emma." the white haired sighed.

"Yes you are. Did you attack Regina the first time you saw her?" Ruby asked, looking how Emma's magic flowed through her eyes.

"No, no, I did not, she summoned me after she thought she had found me because I was too scared.", the once Saviour told the brunette.

"You attacked me because I was turning into a beast. If I had entered as myself, you would have tried to kill me," Ruby explained. "Let me bring you back to Storybrooke, Emma." she said with a soft smile.

But Emma couldn't do that, she wasn't prepared. She wasn't prepared to see her parents, her son, her friends, and mostly, she wasn't prepared to look at Regina after almost killing her. It was better if she did not appear again on Regina or Henry's life. They would be safer, and Regina was the best mother a child could have.

She looked at the ground and grabbed Ruby's hands. She had to make a decision, and she was not going to compromise the safety and lifes of innocent people just so she could recover her old life. There was something she needed Ruby to know, she needed the Red Hood to deliver a message. Emma smirked and took a breathe, preparing herself.

"I need you to tell Regina that what she saw and felt when she touched me was true. Thank her on my behalf for trying to heal me, and help her with Henry. And please," Emma eyes began to get teary, and she looked to the ground trying to hide, but there was no reason as she would not see Ruby again. "please, don't let her feel _alone_."

Emma smiled one last time looking at the brunette's eyes, released her hands and disappeared walking through grey smoke.


	4. Ruined Gun

**Thanks everyone for reading this. You guys are amazing. Some flufiness will come on the next chapter, for sure. See you on Monday! Review if you want to!**

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Ruby appeared on the Mayor's door on the next days' dawn. Since Emma's disappearance ( _second one_ , noted) all she did was walking, bleeding and bruise, to one of the shacks on the forest, and treat her numerous cuts. She knew that in the moment she closed her eyes and woke up again, the pain was going to be much worse.

She rang Regina's bell many times, insistently, until someone opened the door. It was Regina, but something seemed off about her. She had her make up smeared, mostly under her eyes, and swollen lips and nose. The mayor's clothes were rumpled, as well. She definitely didn't had a good night. She was the one who began to talk.

"Come on in," told her as she moved herself next to the door, letting Ruby enter to the hall. "and please don't do that again. Henry is sleeping. And he doesn't need to know any of this."

"I know, I know but-" Ruby stopped there. She came to tell her what happened to Regina, but maybe it wasn't a good idea. _Anyway, she'll know sooner or later._ "-if Emma had not tried to kill me and then went missing I would not be here."

"What?!" Regina replied. She froze there. Emma was gone, _again_. "What the- what did you both do?!", asked, but she didn't need now an answer, after Ruby turned on the hall lights and the bruises and cuts could be soon. "You.. fought."

"Yes, yes, yes we did, ok?" Ruby answered nervously, "and if I would have been 1 damn second slower you would have to prepare the funeral already!", told her with a louder voice. "And then she just said that we were not safe with her around here and poofed like you usually do!"

The Mayor couldn't help but to smile after hearing that. Emma wasn't with her but it seemed that she had adopted Regina's manners. She knew Ruby would tell her everything, but the sooner they got to find Emma again, the better. And she would need Ruby's help...

"It's ok. Do you need healing?", Regina asked. She was going to need a lot of help to find Emma and she needed to be trusted. "No, don't worry, I think I am more or less cool for now", the wolf replied with a smile, "I got here as I could because I supposed you would like to begin searching for her as..." she finished, leaving words unsaid.

"As..? What?" Regina replied abruptly, trying to close this part of the conversation. She had been very careful about her feelings for Emma, and she was sure no one – _not even Emma herself –_ could have guessed them.

"I- I don't want to get into your life or anything but... " the younger brunette looked away Regina's eyes, "we... well.. I.. kinda.. you know.." "No, I don't." "I mean.. .. ok you are the mayor and you are th- I mean you were but ..", the red hooded chuckled and continued, "you are so freaking bad at keeping your eyes and emotions to yourself, lady!"

"Oh God please not again.", Regina sighed and looked to Ruby, who looked at her with a disbelief stare. "It's not I'm in love with her..", but Ruby wasn't convinced and aside from the desbelief in her eyes, she now tilted her head in a _don't-fuck-with-me_ vibe. "Maybe a bit,", Regina confessed, and her smile upon Ruby's face was gone, "but it won't matter as long as she keeps going missing over and over again." told to the younger brunette, softly touching the whisky glass she had been drinking since Ruby got to her house.

"Well, then we oughta find her. And we will, miss Mayor." said with a smile, before sitting on the couch in a graciously way. "But we'll need their help. Both of them aren't going to let us do this without them."

 **. . .**

David found himself with a lot of paper work. Since Emma's disappearance, he had a lot of work to do, but that week was driving him nuts. The citizens were addresing him to fix the _Storybrooke Harbor_ sign, which had been damaged the day before for unknown causes. They had asked him to investigate the roads and the forest because blood stains had been appearing through the forest paths, which seemed more interesting than repairing a sign.

He grabbed his gun, more light than usual, and the sheriff badge, closed the station and entered his car, driving in direction to the forest. _Could be some deer that deviated and ended up close to the town._ A lot of old men in the town, including the dwarfs, had liked the tradition of hunting Emma told them once. Obviously she talked about it like it was some kind of sin, but the dwarfs didn't have a job and they seemed to like it.

He arrived at the first cottage, which was abandoned, and did not see a clue of anyone prescence, not by blood, or clothes. _I should drive deeper inside the forest. Maybe some animal needs help there._ He wasn't good at cheking the forest, Mary Margaret was the one with that skill.

He entered back to his car and drove, this time to the ruins at the northwest on the forest, where the township almost finished. The ruins pertained to the Enchanted Forest, the townspeople believed, because it was filled with so much magic that it could actually get you dizzy.

When he got off the car, something was already strange. He could not feel the magic usually, but everytime he got here, he would begin to feel really warm, and if he stayed much hallucinations appeared. But he felt as normal as in the town, so something or someone could have been there of late.

"This is Storybrooke sheriff. Whoever you are, show yourself please, with the hands on the head", shouted while unseathed his weapon. He turned to the right, but the only friend he had there was air itself and some rabbits which were running, maybe playing. As he looked to the ground, he gazed to the dark brown stains. He knew they were blood, because he had bleed many, many times. And the stains followed each other in a trail to the east part of the ruins, where stairs went down into a door that couldn't be opened, or that he knew.

He lifted the gun and pointed it to where the blood was leading him. Before getting too close, David breathed in and hold his breath to have a better precision if anything happened. He crouched and leaned to one of the destroyed walls that did corner to the stairs. _1... 2..._ and suddenly he stepped away from the wall, only to see a white blondish haired woman with black clothes, who looked at him frightened and shivering.

 _Emma._

"No, no, not again. Please, whoever you are, go!", she told him, moving her hands and gesturing to send him off. "I am really dangerous and I don't want to harm you.", while she moved towards the door, moving away from him.

"Emma, please,..." he lowered his weapon and showed his hands to her, as a sign of peace.

"Emma? You are one of Regina's friends right? But you tried to kill her once.", replied while shivering. She was afraid of herself. But then she heard a laugh coming from the man next to her, who put his hands on the waist.

"Well, it's not like we are close friends, really. I am Prince Charming. And-" he continued with a confident smile, with the knowledge that his daughter was still alive, "I am your father." the charming chuckled.

Althought his smile faded when he saw Emma staring at him with threatening eyes. "I remember you from the memories of.. Rumplestiltskin. You were a prince. You tried to kill him many times," told the green-eyed to the man while she stood up, "why would I think you won't do the same to me?, asked.

"As I said, I- I am your dad, Emma." the tall man replied, trying to get close to the blonde. "I am not going to hurt you, ok?", said as he threw his gun to the ground, and kicked it.

"I don't trust you, your majesty!", the now Dark One said as a thrust of air waves were focused on the sheriff, leaving him away from his amnesic daughter. Some bruises appeared on his cheekbones and forehead, bleeding. He stood up as fast as he could and tried to grab the gun, with success, trying to shoot Emma' surroundings and try to know her location. The gun would be useless, as it didn't have bullets. _Why does everything happen to me_ , he thought.

"Why are you attacking me?! I'm your father, Emma!" shouted while he turned on his back, afraid of his child, "I mean you no harm! Please let me try to explain!", continued, breathing as calmly as he was able to.

"People like you were the ones who slaved _it_. He escaped from the realm, but you gave _it_ to the Author. You gave _us_ to the Author." words filled forest air, as well as the breeze. David could just stare at nowhere, at no one, while he tried to reason with the Saviour.

"Why? Who? Who is _it_? What are you talking about Emma?!" shouted, until a force pulled him to the ground, and Emma appeared on top of him, grabbing the collar of his shirt, and looking at him with radiant, green eyes.

"You know about Aladdin. Other realm. He slaved us. He cut off _its_ wings. And then he sold us and they tried to bring us to your castle, but the man with the book and the feather killed us. And created the dagger. And then he was us, _it_ was inside him.", she told David, "And that author was killed with the dagger, and now _it_ was other. And then this other was killed by Rumplestiltskin, and Rumple became _it_. And now I am.", continued.

"Does he... does it.. have a name?! Is an entity?!" he had not felt fear since she saw Emma absorbing the darkness, but now the sheriff feared his own daughter. "Aladdin called it Ifrit. The one who killed him called him _a Jinn_." Emma explained.

"So.. Jinn.. he's.. it is.. kind of.. a genie, right?! That's what I read when I was young, right?! It was.. _is_.. a genie! That's why it made deals, to balance everything. Ok, ok Emma, ok now we-" he couldn't finish as Emma grabbed his pendant, a golden one with a figure of a swan.

"Why do you have a pendant with my name?!" the woman asked while shaking his shoulders, "are you really my father?!" requested to know.

David nodded and he caught a glimpse of 4 pairs of feet, 50 meters at his right. He didn't know who could they be, but he hoped they didn't do harm to Emma.

"Yes, yes, I am! And you have a little brother called Neal! And you have a child named Henry! And there's S-" he couldn't finish as he saw how a pair of pale, soft hands touched Emma's face, in which could see how the energy was drained. He looked upon Emma's head and saw a little woman with a white wool sweater and the glimpse of a bow on her back.

"I am sorry Emma, but I-I really need to do this.. we- we can't lose you again", said Snow, whose hands were on Emma's face, draining all the magic and rendering her unconscious, besides David, who had his eyes closed while a tear streamed through his face.

"I am sorry, I am sorry.." cried out while the bow fell to the ground and she stared at her hands, "this is my fault and I will fix it.", she told Regina, Belle and Ruby, who stood some meters away from her, while she crouched to the ground to touch Emma's face again, giving the drained magic. The mother got her face close to her child.

"I love you so much.", she whispered onto the saviour's ear, as the last one finally could open her eyes. Snow grabbed David's hand and Emma's hand, and united them. "We are your parents, Emma," said the one once called Mary Margaret, while Emma inhaled and lived the emotions and memories from both of her parents.

"And we are proud of you," Snow said while sobbing. "You are Emma Swan, not the dark one." said smiling, and the other three women got closed to Emma, especially Regina, who smiled to her after the flashback on the blonde one finished.

"We've had a hard with you, Emma." Belle told her, smiling. "But you are here, with us. You are safe." the red haired said, as touched the Saviour's hand, "You will be safe."

Ruby also attached her hand to the others' hands, and finally Regina got close to Emma, staring face to face, with almost touching lips. "I am going to have your back, Emma. Everytime."

And Regina returned to her position, touching everyone's hand. That was the last thing Emma saw that day, a family reunited. Although she felt pain, because she believed someone was missing, someone who had been in the memories and emotions of everyone she touched. A name didn't come to her mind, but a face.

 **. . .**

"He has to know.", Regina told Snow, after feeling how Emma passed out. "He already has asked me if something had happened. You can't leave him without his mother." she said to the one who long time ago was her enemy.

"Emma will stay in your bedroom. In your house. Tomorrow Henry will know." the short woman replied her. Maybe they could be a family again.


	5. Healing

**Hello! Sorry for the delay but life got on the way! Something is coming guys :) Review and tell me your opinions on Tumblr and Twitter! Also, participate in the Believe in Swan Queen project :)**

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Emma woke up pretty hurt. She hadn't healed from the fight between her and Ruby, which had left her with a broken ankle and a dislocated shoulder, aside from the bruises, and the cuts she had. She had one pretty big on her torso, but it didn't bleed much because it was a superficial one. She had endured the night on the ruins, with a plastic cover she'd found and that didn't do much. And she fought against David the very same day.

The green-eyed felt weird because she didn't remember experiencing that wave of emotion and magic, almost an orgasm of sensations when she fought with David. But she knew that it was her father, and she could revive the memories. However, aside from that, she just could return to the moment where hands were laid upon her face and strong pain came, while draining her own life. And apologizes from a woman with short hair.

With her state, there was no way she could move from the bed and have breakfast. As she took a look to the white walls and the light wood furniture, Emma guessed it was Regina's room. It was really bright, with a window that opened the views to Mifflin Street. In contrast with the room itself, the bed had dark grey sheets and pillows. She wished to hug Regina's pillow, but between the pain and the bandages she had difficulties even breathing.

The clock made a empty sound every second, until the sound of a key inserted into the door, the lock changing angle and the face of the mayor entering her room woke Emma up from her sleepy heaviness. Emma blushed with the view of Regina, who was dressed in a white tight dress, which didn't cover her right collarbone, with sleeves that finished on her elbow. The saviour had the feel that it had been Regina the one who undressed her, put the bandages and dressed her with one of her own pajamas.

 _Regina might have seen me naked_. _Or better, she might have naked me._ She had spaced out with the thought but her face could tell what she was thinking as Regina looked and her and filled the air.

"Hello, dear," said with a teasing smile, "don't worry, I've not seen anything, unfortunately." told the mayor to the blonde, pronouncing every word quickly so Emma couldn't listen what she just said.

Emma, although had listened that last comment, decided to ignore it, and replied her. "I'm sorry, Regina, I almost.." left unsaid, as she didn't have the guts to finish. That's what made her scape from her house, not the red werewolf. She could have hurt Regina there, and she still could now, and she wasn't going to apologize herself.

"It's ok, you didn't hurt me," the brunette replied as she sat on the edge of the bed, "I can now.." sighed, because she wasn't used to her light magic. "protect myself. And others. Don't worry." Regina stopped because what she was about to do now it was hard for her, and for someone else. She breathed, and tried to speak.

"There's someone you need to know, Emma.", the mayor sighed. "It's going to be hard for everyone, but-" _I need you to be complete for me. For us._ "he would be happy if-" she stopped as Emma grabbed her hands, tightly.

"If someone else wants to see me I need you to be with me. Please, Regina." the blonde told her with eyes filled of tears. "I can't do this alone." Emma said as her voice broke and tears streamed.

"I'm going to be here. You are my friend." Regina smiled and Emma thought she could see her like that for lifes and lifes. "Are you... prepared?" asked, and Emma nodded.

Regina stood up and opened the door to the boy who waited there. Henry, dressed with his pajama, run onto Emma, hugging her. Both felt the memories of each other coming, but the boy just embraced her mother stronger. Regina looked at both of them smiling and decided to give each other some time alone, and she went to the kitchen where Snow, David an Ruby where waiting for her.

She felt a bit dizzy since getting out of her room, but nontheless she could clearly see the faces of the Charmings and Ruby, who was eating lasagna leftovers. Regina walked next to Snow and leaned back.

"She... is like a child with new toys," Regina told them, "she doesn't know how to control them.. and it seems that she can only regain her memories by touching people." the mayor finished, with desbelief on her face.

"Well then we might have a long queue.." David added, trying to break the seriousness between everyone. We guessed it had not been a good idea when he saw Regina's eyes almost absorbing him.

"Then, Regina we might have to ask you a favor.." Snow's voice appeared from nowhere. She hadn't talked much since Emma appeared, but everything had to be back to normal, including her. "Emma is going to live here from now on, and you should be the one who takes care of her.." finished.

"Are you impling that Emma has to be watched and followed by me? She's a grown up woman, Snow! We don't have to be taking care of her 24 hours a day!" Regina replied loudly, wavering her arms in incredulity. Is not that she didn't want to be with Emma, because she did. But Emma could disappear again and she didn't trust herself on having the responsability of finding her again and coping with her feelings for her.

"Regina," Snow gazed at her and continued, "may I have a word with you?" and without letting Regina answer, the charming woman grabbed the mayor's arm and brought her to the bathroom, and locked the door. "Were you the one who began teaching magic?" Snow asked, directly.

"What? Snow there's no way I can alone take ca-" but Regina didn't have time to finish.

"ANSWER, Regina." the huntswoman said in the loudest, deepest voice she could possibly have. And for the first time, Regina feared her once enemy.

"Yes, I began teaching her magic."said the mayor, with a hint of fear on her voice.

"Do you trust Hook?" Snow asked, again. "No, I don't, and you already know what!" the mayor replied, this time surprised by the obvious answer.

"Then you must take care of her. Help her. You are the only one who can." the other replied as she unlocked the door. "And don't say no to me in this, because you are lying to yourself. You will accept this because you already know you are the only one capable of doing it. And it's going to be painful. And she's going to rip you out. And maybe you finish hating and killing each other," said Snow in a funny note, which didn't seem really funny to Regina. "or something else could happen." and Regina had goosebumps, as already knew what Snow was implying.

"Return to the bedroom. Emma shouldn't have a lot of time alone by now."

Both returned to the previous places, Snow to the kitchen and Regina to her bedroom. Her vision began to get blurry, and she had to stop herself a few times. It felt like energy was getting to intense as she got close where Emma was, but this energy did not surround her. It was getting bigger in her own body. But she had to keep her attenttion onto other things, not her dizziness. She opened the door of her room and saw Henry and Emma asleep, with the mother spooning the child.

Regina stared at them by just a few seconds, although they felt as it were years. The window was open, and the breeze coming through it gave pleasant chills to Regina. Both Henry and Emma were covered with with the sheets, and she could hear their breathing.

The brunette walked towards Henry and leaned on him, kissing him on the forehead, unaware of the little opening that now appeared on Emma's eyes. She poofed herself and Henry to the child's room, leaving him on the bed and covering him, so he could continue on dream land. The mayor poofed herself back in her bedroom, and was surprised to see Emma with her eyes opened.

"He got up really early.", said as she leaned on the closet doors. "how are you feeling?", the brunette asked.

"I.. feel amazingly great, but I can't move.", said trying to laugh, but it hurt quite a bit, and she tried to stop. Regina didn't account that Emma hadn't moved from her spoon position since she got to the room.

"Wait, don't move, let me help you." she walked fast to Emma's side, and kneeled next to the bed. "I'm going to try and heal you. The first time I couldn't, but I believe I understand it better now." said as she smiled. Emma nodded, although she didn't knew what to expect.

"Emma, I need your hands." Regina told the white haired one.

"Wait do you need to cut off my hands?! Do you need my blood?! Didn't you have light magic now?!" Emma said surprised, although she couldn't move away from the brunette.

"It seems that being the dark one hasn't removed that special kind of humor you had, dear." she said, giggling. "I need you to take my hands, and we have to relax."

Regina felt quite powerful now, the opposite as she had felt on the corridor. She felt focused and with the skill to do anything, even healing.

She touched Emma' skin and then grabbed her hands, entering onto Emma's body. If Emma's external damage was big, the interal bleeding of some organs were something even more urgent. Regina began to heal everything, however, she couldn't ignore the heatwaves coming from Emma's hand and abdomen, which only appeared when someone was nervous or in love. Or both.

She opened her eyes trying to hide the surprise and looked and Emma, who had a hint of a blush in her cheeks.

"Do you feel better now?" Regina inquired, smiling. Because she now knew Emma could be in love with her and she had another good reason to, ironically, do as Snow said.

"Yes, thank you. Do you mind... can I have breakfast?" said as she sat on the bed and leaned on the wall, smiling.

"Of course, may I ask you something first, Emma?" Regina replied, as she fondled her own hands nervously. Emma nodded, giggling as she saw that she was completely healed.

"Would you like to go to Granny's tomorrow?" the brunette finally asked.


	6. Dark, yet But :)

I am not dead.

Dark, still.

Yet not dead.


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